Search results for "Length"
showing 10 items of 2188 documents
Preterm birth: seven-year retrospective study in a single centre population
2019
Preterm birth is a health and social problem, considered the leading cause of neonatal mortality worldwide. It is associated with higher rates of neurodevelopmental morbidity, sensorineural impairments and other complications. The aim of the study was to describe the incidence and the major risk factors associated with preterm birth. METHODS: We performed a single center, observational and retrospective Cohort study in the Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital "G. Martino", Messina. Clinical records of all pregnant women who delivered from 1st January 2010 to 31 of December 2016 were collected. RESULTS: In the 7 years considered, a total of 7954 pregnant women were inc…
Use of the Martius advancement flap for low rectovaginal fistulas
2019
Aim: The percentage recurrence after any surgical treatment for low rectovaginal fistula (LRVF) is unacceptably high. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short- and long-term results of the Martius procedure in a carefully selected series of patients with a LRVF of at least 1 cm diameter who had had at least two previous surgeries or in the presence of chronically inflamed local tissues. Method: Between January 2009 and April 2017, 24 patients with the abovementioned features were prospectively included in this study. Success was defined both as the absence of any subjective symptoms and the fistula, as confirmed by evaluation under anaesthesia. Postoperative complications were assess…
Aerosol properties of the Eyjafjallajökull ash derived from sun photometer and satellite observations over the Iberian Peninsula
2012
The Eyjafjallajökull ash that crossed over Spain and Portugal on 6e12 May 2010 has been monitored by a set of operational sun photometer sites within AERONET-RIMA and satellite sensors. The sun photometer observations (aerosol optical depth, coarse mode concentrations) and ash products from IASI and SEVIRI satellite sensors, together with FLEXPART simulations of particle transport, allow identifying the volcanic aerosols. The aerosol columnar properties derived from inversions were investigated, indicating specific properties, especially regarding the absorption. The single scattering albedo was high (0.95 at 440 nm) and nearly wavelength independent, although with slight decrease with wave…
Effective broadband refractive index retrieval by a white light optical particle counter.
2009
A new approach to retrieve the effective broadband refractive indices (nbroad,eff) of aerosol particles by a white light aerosol spectrometer (WELAS) optical particle counter (OPC) is presented. Using a tandem differential mobility analyzer (DMA)-OPC system, the nbroad,eff are obtained for both laboratory and field applications. This method was tested in the laboratory using substances with a wide range of optical properties. With the obtained nbroad,eff, WELAS aerosol size distributions can be corrected. Therefore, this method can be used for instrument calibration in both laboratory and field measurements. The retrieved effective broadband refractive indices for the scattering aerosols we…
Open mini-invasive cholecystectomy in high risk elderly. A review of 121 consecutive procedures.
2011
INTRODUCTION: the report describes the features of a low cost, open mini-invasive procedure for cholecystectomy in a sample of 121 consecutive high risk elderly (ASA score 3 to 5). PATIENTS AND METHODS: the surgery is performed through a 3 - 4 cm right subcostal skin incision. An optimal exposition of the operating field was achieved thanks to an innovative three valve retractor. RESULTS: a mean hospital stay of 3,02 days, low complication rate and 2,4% mortality are the results of the described procedure. CONCLUSIONS: in high risk elderly the results are extremely encouraging, particularly in comparison with both laparoscopic and traditional open cholecystectomy. The open minisurgical chol…
Possible Association of Telomere Length with Sleep Duration. A Preliminary Pilot study in a Sicilian Cohort with Centenarians
2021
Telomere length (TL) is considered a biomarker of ageing although this topic is still debated. Also, sleep pattern changes are physiological part of the normal ageing process. In fact, it is widely recognized that sleep duration declines with age, leading to dysregulation of circadian rhythms. The aim of our study was to analyse the possible association of sleep duration with TL in a sample of 135 subjects with ages ranging from 20 to 111 years, recruited from Palermo and neighbouring municipalities in Sicily (Italy). Preliminary data suggest that relative TL (RTL) decreases with age in both men and women. However, at older ages, the difference between men and women tends to narrow. Nonagen…
Biological clocks and physical functioning in monozygotic female twins
2018
Background Biomarkers of biological aging – DNA methylation age (DNAm age) and leukocyte telomere length (LTL)– correlate strongly with chronological age across the life course. It is, however, unclear how these measures of cellular wear and tear are associated with muscle strength and functional capacity, which are known to decline with older age and are associated with mortality. We investigated if DNAm age and LTL were associated with body composition and physical functioning by examining 48 monozygotic twin sisters. Methods White blood cell DNAm age (predicted years) was calculated from Illumina 450 k BeadChip methylation data using an online calculator. DNAm age acceleration was define…
Frailty and leucocyte count are predictors of all-cause mortality and hospitalization length in non-demented institutionalized older women.
2017
Alteration in the immune system such as the number of white blood cells count (WBC) has been associated with frailty syndrome but their role in institutionalized older individuals have been rarely investigated. We evaluated the relationships between white blood cell subtypes, geriatric assessment, depression and frailty syndrome based on the criteria of physical phenotype. In particular, we aimed to analyze by a two-year follow-up and prospective study the predictive value of alterations in WBC, frailty and functional impairment in terms of hospitalizations and all-cause mortality in institutionalized older women. There was a significant and inverse correlation between the frailty score and…
Interactions of Ultra-cold Alkaline-earth-like and Alkali Atoms with Light
2019
This paper presents the experimental results of photoionization and photoassociation experiments performed with both ultra-cold alkaline-earth-like and alkali atoms. Photoionization cross-section was studied for 88Sr at the blue magic 390 nm wavelength as well as for 87Rb at 254 nm. We also present preliminary results of photoassociation spectroscopy of the molecular line detected near the dissociation threshold of the excited Rb*Hg molecule at D1 Rb line (795 nm).
Monolayers of asymmetrical diethylalkanoat disulfides on gold(111):.the influence of chain length difference on atomic force microscope images
1998
Several symmetrical and asymmetrical long-chain diethylalkanoat disulfides were synthesized and character- ized. The differences in the chain lengths of the disul- fides ranged between zero and five methylene units. Self- assembled monolayers of these disulfides formed on Au(111) surfaces were studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) in order to obtain information about the origin of the image contrast. Domains with hexagonal lattices (lattice constants 5:2- 5:3 A) were detected for all derivatives, independent of the chain length differences. This indicates that the contrast arises roughly at a depth of 4- 8 A in the monolayers at imag- ing forces between 0: 2a nd 3n N. For SAMs of diethyl…